Nigerian Musicians- 25 Greatest That Have Remained Relevant For Long

In recent times, the Nigerian music industry has become one of the most popular and dominant entertainment industries in Africa and the diaspora thanks to many Nigerian musicians that have managed to transcend time and remain relevant over the years. These artist have not only captured the hearts of local fans but have also gained international recognition for their exceptional talent. In addition, some of them have even gone as far as winning some of the most prestigious globally recognized music awards.

From pioneers of afrobeat to modern-day hitmakers, these artists have left an indelible mark on the music industry earning them a well-deserved spot.

Meet the 25 Nigerian Musicians That Have Remained Relevant For Long

25. Phyno

• Birth name: Chibuzor Nelson Azubuike
• Age: 94
• Label: Sputner, Penthauz
• Career Start: 2003

At No. 25 is Phyno, a leading Igbo rapper who would stop at nothing to promote his local Igbo dialect and culture through his music. Phyno whose native name is Chibuzor Nelson Azubike, was born on October  9, 1986, in Anambra State, Nigeria.

Phyno is best known as a Nigerian singer, rapper, record producer, and songwriter. He came to the limelight in 2014 when he released his debut studio album, No Guts No Glory which produced serial hit singles like Ghost Mode, Parcel, and O Set.       

 24. Lil Kesh

• Birth name: Keshinro Ololade
• Age: 29
• Label: YBNL Nation, YAGI
• Career Start: 2014

Keshinro Ololade who is better known as Lil Kesh is a Nigerian singer, rapper, and songwriter, who came to the limelight after he released his hit song titled Shoki.

The 29-year-old Shoki crooner was born on March 14, 1995, in Bariga, a suburb of Lagos State. However, he is a native of Osun State.

Lil Kesh was a linguistic student at the University of Ibadan before leaving school to concentrate on a music career.

His musical career kicked off in 2012 when he rapped among his colleagues in Bariga and released his first single Lyrically, a single which became popular at universities in Nigeria. He has since been able to drop several hits as his popularity soared. He is one of the award-winning rising young artists. In 2015, he received the Celebrity Award – Song Of The Year (Shoki) at the Nigerian Teen Choice Awards. Again in the same year Lil Kesh’s hit song Shoki the Popular Song of the Year at the  City People Entertainment Awards, this is in addition to a couple of other nominations.

23. Mayorkun

• Birth name: Adewale Mayowa Emmanuel
• Age: 30
• Label: Sony Music West Africa • DMW
• Career Start: 2016

Adewale Mayowa Emmanuel best known as Mayorkun, is a Nigerian Afrobeats singer, songwriter, and pianist. Mayorkun was born on March 23, 1994, in Osun State, Nigeria. He is the first child of three, what’s more, the Afrobeats star happens to be born into a family of entertainers. His mother is a Nollywood actress and his father, is an artist and movie producer, it is safe to say that talent runs in the family. He has always loved singing since from a young age when joined the choir where he learned the basics of music.

The 30-year-old singer was discovered by the Nigerian music sensation Davido and he came into the spotlight after the release of his debut hit single Eleko in 2016. He then released his debut studio album The Mayor of Lagos in November 2018. Since then, he has grown to become highly famous and recognized. He is one of the youngest artists making waves in the Nigerian music industry today. In 2016, Mayorkun went on an award-winning spree back-to-back. He has amassed a total of nine different awards, aside from other nominations.

22. Kizz Daniel

• Birth name: Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe
• Age: 30
• Label: Fly Boy Inc, Empire Africa, EmpireG, Worldwide
• Career Start: 2014

Another young and talented artist is the Afrobeats, Pop, and R&B star Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe, better known as Kizz Daniel (formerly Kiss Daniel).  Kizz Daniel was born on May 1, 1994, he hails from Abeokuta, North local government area in Ogun State where he grew up. He attended Abeokuta Grammar School and he is a graduate of Water Resources Management and Agrometeorology (Water Engineering) from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. It was during his University days that he decided to nurse the idea of pursuing music as a career alongside his studies.

The 30-year-old is a Nigerian singer and songwriter whose fame came with the release of his singles Woju and Yeba. He was previously signed to G-Worldwide Entertainment in 2013 but left the label following a publicized contract dispute and court case, after which he founded his own record label Fly Boy Inc. record label in November 2017. The Woju crooner has up to seven awards and nominations to his name, making him one of the most recognized and influential young under-30 artists making exploits in the Nigerian entertainment scenes.

21. Korede Bello

• Birth name: Koredo Bello
• Age: 28
• Label: ONErpm, Mavin
• Career Start: 2009

The name Korede Bello has become a household name in the Nigerian music and entertainment industry. The 28-year-old Afro Pop Singer came to the limelight after dropping his hit single song Godwin which was such a critical and commercial hit that it became more of a national anthem across the country. He has since then released an album and several other hit tracks in addition to winning a couple of prestigious awards.

The Godwin crooner was born on February 29, 1996, in Lagos State. Korede Bello was raised along with his two siblings at Lagos State, he had his primary and secondary school in the state. The music sensation always loved music since he was at the tender age of 7 in his primary school. After secondary school, he proceeded to the National Institute of Journalism where he bagged a Higher Diploma in Mass Communication. Additionally, Korede Bello later became an Associate Member of the Institute of Information Management.

Koredo has won about five different awards including The Headies Award for Best Pop Single, City People Entertainment Award for Pop Artiste of the Year, and others.

20. Wande Coal

• Birth name: Oluwatobi Wande Ojosipe
• Age: 39
• Label: Black Diamond, Empire, Mavin Records (former), and Mo’ Hits Records (former)
• Career Start: 2006

Having been in the Nigerian music industry for over a decade, Wande Coal needs no further introduction. Wande Coal whose real name is Oluwatobi Wande Ojosipe was born on October 18, 1985, in Lagos State where he was also brought up. He is a graduate of curriculum studies, from the University of Lagos.

He is popularly known as a Nigerian AfroPop and R&B singer, songwriter, and dancer, who got his first break in the Nigerian entertainment industry as a dancer before he later got signed to Mo’ Hits Records of Don Jazzy in 2006. He attained fame after releasing his hit singles Bumper to Bumper and You Bad in 2008 He has since then had a surge in his popularity, dropping hits after hits hitherto.

In 2010, Wande Coal won the African Artiste of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards 2010. In the same year, he also won two other awards which are; Artiste of the Year at the 2010 Hip Hop World Awards and Best R&B/Pop Single at the 2010 Hip Hop World Awards respectively. Wande Coal is today regarded as one of the veteran Nigerian music artists, who still hold on to his vibes in the industry.

19. Ice Prince

• Birth name: Panshak Henry Zamani
• Age: 38
• Label: Super Cool Cat, Chocolate City (former)
• Career Start: 2004

Another famous Nigerian rapper of all time is none other than Ice Prince. Panshak Henri Zamani who goes by the stage name Ice Prince was born on October 30, 1986, in the city of Minna. At age two, he moved with his family to the mining city of Jos, Plateau State where he grew up. He is of Ngas ethnicity one of the multiple ethnic groups in Plateau state.

He attended St. Murumba College, Jos, before advancing to the Science Tutorial Niger State College in Jos. The Nigerian Hip-hop artist, and actor thrust to fame after he released his hit song Oleku which ended up being one of the most remixed songs of all time in Nigeria. Ice Prince is an award-winning superstar who has earned himself several awards, numbering up to 17, in addition to countless nominations.

18. Simi

• Birth name: Simisola Bolatito Kosoko
• Age: 36
• Label: Studio Brat, X3M (former)
• Career Start: 2006

Simisola Bolatito Kosoko, whose sobriquet is Simi is a Nigerian Singer, songwriter, and actress. She was born on April 19, 1988, in Ojuelegba Lagos she grew up having an interest in dancing and singing which saw her joining her local church choir and she started writing songs at the age of 10.

The 36-year-old singer previously started her music career as a gospel artist in 2008 when she released her debut album Ogaju.

Simi gained more prominence after and landed a huge milestone in her career in 2014 when she released the 5-track EP which got her a record deal with X3M Music. Also, her hit singles Tiff and E no Go Funny received much positive reviews and airplay. So far she has released 4 studio albums and a single EP.

She has now become a household name, with her songs topping most charts, while he bagged several awards. She has a total of 12 different wards and several nominations. She also ranks amongst the top choices, of R&B and Afropop singers in the industry

Simi is married to Nigerian Afro singer Adekunle Gold, and they both welcomed their first daughter whom they named Adejare.

Read Also: 10 Richest Female Musicians in Nigeria: 2021 Net Worth, Sources Of Fortune 

17. M.I Abaga

• Birth name: Jude Lemfani Abaga
• Age: 43
• Label: Incredible Music, Chocolate City
• Career Start: 2004

When it comes to rap, nobody does it better than  M.I  Abaga. The incredible Nigerian rapper, hip-hop star, and producer whose real name is  Jude Abaga was born on October 4, 1981, in Jos the Plateau State capital where he grew up alongside his siblings. He rose to fame in 2006 when his song Crowd Mentality became popular in Jos, Nigeria. He subsequently released his debut studio album Talk About It in 2008. Since then, he has gained so much relevance in the industry as he remains one of the pioneers of modern rap in the Nigerian music industry

M.I Abaga was CEO of Chocolate City from 2015 to 2019. In March 2020, he announced his exit from the label and launched his own record label Incredible Music. His works are so unique that he won the hearts of most rap and hip-hop music lovers across Nigeria and even Africa. He has had his fair share of awards and nominations.

In 2009, he won Best Hip Hop and Best New Act at the 2009 MTV Africa Music Awards and was nominated in the Best International Act category at the BET Awards 2010, among other nominations and awards.

16. Tekno Miles

• Birth name: Augustine Miles Kelechi Okechukwu
• Age: 54
• Label: Island (Former), Universal (Former), Cartel (Current), Made Men Music Group (Former), K-Money Entertainment (Former)
• Career Start: 2012

Afrobeats and R&B singer Tekno Miles is another notable artist who has swiftly risen to fame. Tekno whose birth name is Augustine Miles Kelechi was born on the 17th of December of the year 1992, he hails from Ebonyi state, Nigeria.

The 54-year-old music sensation who is also fondly called Alhaji Tekno, is better known as a Nigerian singer, songwriter, performer, producer, dancer, and instrumentalist. He is known for his hit singles Duro, Dance, Wash Daina, and Rara which gained much acceptance and enjoyed high airplay, across the country and Africa as a whole.

As a result, Duru for example has fetched him 3 nominations. He bagged the Best Pop Extra Video award at the 9^th Nigerian Music Video Awards in 2015, as well as the Best New Act award at the MTV Africa Music Awards in 2016. Tekno is no doubt one of the artists who have won the hearts of many music lovers in Nigeria and Africa.

15. Tiwa Savage

• Birth name: Tiwatope Omolara Savage
• Age: 44
• Label: 323, Universal, Motown, Capital, Island
• Career Start: 1996

One diva who has made a name for herself in the Nigerian music industry is Tiwa Savage. The R&B, Hip-hop soul artist whose real name is Tiwatope Savage was born on February 5, 1980  at Isale Eko, Lagos state. Meanwhile, she later relocated to London at the age of 11 for her secondary education and later attended the University of Kent and Berklee College of Music.

Tiwa Savage came under the media spotlight after the release of her debut hit album, Once Upon a Time, in 2013 under Don Jazzy’s Marvin record label. Since then, Tiwa has been unstoppable thrilling her fans with several hits. The 44-year-old songstress is among the few record-breaking artists in the industry, as she became the first female artist to win the MTV Europe Music Awards, in the Best African Act category in 2018.

She also became the first he first female Nigerian artiste to be nominated for BET awards in 2014 and later won the best female category in the Channel O Music Awards show. Impressively, Tiwa Savage has garnered as many as 20 different awards so far, and more are still coming.

On the other hand, despite her fame and respectable social status, Tiwa Savage has lately been involved in some rather shameful activities. It has been reported that On 8 June 2021, Tiwa Savage got involved in a skirmish with Seyi Shay at an upscale saloon in highbrow Lekki, Lagos In a viral video, Tiwa was seen taking exception to Seyi Shay’s greeting, followed by an exchange of words and curses from both artists.

The recent controversy was her leaked sex tape between her and an undisclosed male partner which went viral on October 19, 2021. Meanwhile, she had earlier cried out that some troll was trying to blackmail and extort her this came on 8 October 2021, before the release of the sex tape. Mixed reactions have continued to trail the sex tape controversy with some fans alleging that the leaked video could be a mere publicity stunt.

14. Yemi Alade

• Birth name: Yemi Eberechi Alade
• Age: 35
• Label: Effyzzie Music Group, Rebel MovementUniversal Music Africa
• Career Start: 2005

Yemi Eberechi Alade known by the stage name “Yemi Alade” was born on the 13th of March 1989, she comes from both Igbo and Yoruba ethnicities. She is better known as a Nigerian Afro-pop singer and songwriter. She rose to dominance after she had won the Peak Talent Show in the year 2009.  However, she attained fame after the release of her hit song Johnny, which became a massive commercial success.

The self-acclaimed Mama Africa is notable for her promotion of African culture and music. She has also collaborated with several popular artists across the African continent. So far the award-winning singer has garnered as many as 12 different awards to her name, with a long list of nominations.

13. Adekunle Gold

• Birth name: Adekunle Almoruf Kosoko
• Age: 37
• Label: Afro Urban Inc, YBNL Nation (former), Def Jam RecordingsAfro Urban Inc, YBNL Nation (former), Def Jam Recordings
• Career Start: 2010

Adekunle Kosoko is popularly known as Adekunle Gold his stage name, he is a Nigerian singer, Graphic designer, and songwriter. He was born on January 28, 1987, in Lagos, Nigeria. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Arts and Design from Lagos State Polytechnic.

He rose to prominence after the release of his hit single titled Sade in the year 2014, however, this single was widely known or heard and massively played on various Nigerian radio stations, and later on, he released other singles Orente of which this single also had positive reviews. In the year 2015, Adekunle Gold was nominated for the Most Promising Act of the Year category at the City People Entertainment Awards, which charted the way for more awards and nominations which he later achieved in his career.

He is married to the R&B soul music sensation Simisola, and the couple shared a lovely daughter together.

12. Patoranking

• Birth name: Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie
• Age: 34
• Label: Amari Musiq, VP Records
• Career Start: 2009

Patoranking, whose real name is Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie, is one of the pioneers of the reggae-dancehall  genre in the Nigerian Music industry

The 34-year-old dancehall artist was born on May 27, 1990 in Ijegun Lagos. Even so, he hails from Ebonyi state but was raised in Lagos state. Patoranking made the airwaves in Nigeria after signing a record deal with Foston Musik and releasing his hit single “Girlie O.”

The hit single peaked at No. 9 on MTV Base’s Official Naija Top 10 chart. Patoranking’s Daniella Whine and My Woman, My Everything also topped MTV Base Official Naija Top 10 chart.

In 2015, Patoranking was highly recognized after he won the Best New Act at the MTV Africa Music Awards. Patoranking has also added 11 more awards to his collections. He is among the artists who have laced the Nigerian music landscape with the Jamaican reggae vibes.

11. Falz

• Birth name: Folarin Falana
• Age: 34
• Label: Bahd Guys Records
• Career Start: 2009

At the 11^th spot is Folarin Falana, better known as  Falz. He is a Nigerian Afropop rapper, songwriter, and actor who was born on October 27, 1990, in Musin, Lagos, Nigeria. Falz graduated with an LLB honors degree in Law from the University of Reading, England.

The 34-year-old singer rose to prominence for his hit single Marry Me He later released his debut album in 2014.

Falz won the Viewer’s Choice Best New International Act for the 2016 BET Awards, in addition to 8 other prestigious awards all to his name.

Falz is one of the few artists that are also activists, he is known for participating in social issues and has also used his music to highlight social ills bordering Nigeria.

The music sensation was active during the EndSars protest; he beckoned his fellow celebrities to join the fight to end police brutality and for a better Nigeria.

10. Timaya

• Birth name: Inetimi Alfred Timaya Odon
• Age: 44
• Label: DM Records
• Career Start: 2005

Rising from grass to grace at the 10^th spot is Inetimi Timaya Odon who goes by the sobriquet Timaya. He is a Nigerian singer and songwriter, who hails from Odi, Bayelsa state. He came to the limelight after the release of his hit single Dem Mama from his debut album True Story in 2006. He is also the founder of DM Records Limited. His second album Gift and Grace was released in 2008.

Meanwhile, he attained further visibility and international prominence through his third studio album De Rebirth released in partnership with Black Body Entertainment, and its lead single Plantain Boy which became a critical and commercial success.

In 2012, Timaya injected new vibes into his style of music with the release of his album Upgrade, which made his popularity soar, producing hits like Bum Bum, Sexy Ladies, and Malonogede. Hitherto, he has been releasing several hits back-to-back, and his music has earned him several notable awards and nominations including four Headies Awards wins, 2 AFRIMMA Awards wins, one Nigeria Music Award an NEA Award, and more.

9. Banky W

• Birth name: Olubankole Wellington
• Age: 43
• Label: Empire Mates Entertainment
• Career Start: 2002

At No. 9 is the R&B pioneer, Banky W  whose real name is Olubankole Wellington. He is better known as a popular Nigerian singer, rapper, politician, actor, and most recently a pastor. He is appreciated for infusing the blues vibes into the Nigerian music industry.

Banky W started off with his 2003 EP release Undeniable and other songs like Back in the Building (2005), Mr. Capable (2008), The W Experience (2009), and R&BW (2013). Even though he isn’t so active in the music industry, one cannot speak of the greatest musicians in Nigeria without mentioning Banky W, as he is certainly classified among the best.

Interestingly, Banky W is the artist who first discovered and mentored the Nigerian superstar Wizkid now known as Big Wiz. He was signed to his label EME record label from 2009 to 2016. He has also contributed to the growth of Skales and Niyola.

8. Flavour

• Birth name: Chinedu Okoli
• Age: 41
• Label: 2nite Music Group
• Career Start: 2005

With a unique, charming, and unbeatable voice at No. 8 is Flavour N’abania whose real name is Chinedu Okoli, born November 23, 1983, in Enugu, before moving to Lagos to pursue his musical dreams.

Flavour, is best known as a Nigerian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and performer, whose musical career began as a drummer for a local church in his hometown of Enugu State. Flavour rose to prominence for his hit song Nwa Baby (Ashawo Remix). He is currently signed to 2nite Entertainment.

He is renowned for his masculine physique and his sense of collaboration with other stars, as he has collaborated with almost all the musical artists in the Nigerian music industry.

His place as a veteran Nigerian music artist is uncontested, as he has dropped several hit songs including Ashawo (2010), Time to Party (2018), Game Changer (2023), and Levels (2023).

7. P Square

• Birth name: Peter Okoye and Paul Okoye
• Age: 43
• Label: Square Records, Konvict Muzik, Universal Music SA, Square Root Entertainment
• Career Start: 2003

At No. 7 is the celebrated legendary Nigerian R&B and Afropop duo P-Square who are identical twin brothers Peter Okoye and Paul Okoye. They are famous for their spectacular dancing skills. Though they own their own record label known as Square Records where they produce their albums, in December 2011, they signed a record deal with Akon’s Konvict Muzik label in addition to signing another record distribution deal with Universal Music’s South African branch, in May 2012.  For over a decade, the duo have been thrilling music lovers in Nigeria and across Africa with hits after hits. Notwithstanding, it has been reported that the duo disbanded in 2016, over some lingering misunderstandings.

Cheeringly, recent reports in November 2021, have it that the brothers have officially ended their age-long feud.

They remained on the list of highly recognized artists in Nigeria and Africa as a whole and have garnered over 17 recognized local and international awards and 18 other nominations

What’s more, they are among the Nigerian starts who have the highest streams and views on YouTube, for example, a quick glance at their views on YouTube showed that their hit tracks Personally garnered 80 million+ views,  Collabo  50 million+, Chop My Money  40 million+,  Taste the Money 40 million+ and Do me/Bank Alert 30 million+ to mention but a few. Indeed PSquare are among the legendary artist in the Nigerian music industry.

6. D’banj

• Birth name: Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo
• Age: 44
• Label: Capitol, Priority, Mo Hits, DB, DKM, GOOD, Mercury, Sony, ROCKSTAR4000, RCA
• Career Start: 2004

Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo, better known as D’banj, is among the legendary music icons in the Nigerian mainstream entertainment industry. He came to the spotlight after the release of his debut album, No Long Thing, in 2005 which includes the hit single Tongolo that became his breakthrough hit in his music career.

Subsequently, in 2012, D’banj garnered massive international recognition after releasing his hit single Oliver Twist. The song topped many international charts after its initial release and later topped the African charts in 2011. It was also on the top 10 hit in the UK singles chart in 2012 while it peaked at the No. 2 spot on the UK R&B chart.

D’banji has won close to 30 international and local awards, including; Best-selling African Artist at the 2014 World Music Awards, Best African, Best International Act: Africa at the 2011, Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009, BET Awards Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007.

Interestingly, the Koko master as he is fondly called has always enjoyed the unreserved support of his mother so much so that she single-handedly sponsored the video of his hit single “Tongolo”.

5. 2Baba (Tuface Idibia)

• Birth name: Innocent Ujah Idibia
• Age: 49
• Label: Hypertek Digital
• Career Start: 1994

At No. 5 is the legendry Innocent Ujah Idibia also known as TuFace or 2Baba is impossible to to make a list of the best Nigerian musicians in contemporary times without the mention of Tuface, a household name that breeds music, quality, and Africanism.

2Face, or 2baba as he is popularly called, has been widely described as a decorated and highly celebrated artist in Nigeria In 2015 the African queen crooner made history as he became a Nigerian artist to clinched the MTV Europe, Best African Act Award in addition to several other prestigious awards numbering over 20. Notable among them are; the MTV Europe Music Awards, World Music Award, Headies Awards(Hip-hop award), Channel O Music Video Award  BET award, and more again in 2019 2Baba was honored as a Good Cause Ambassador by the Nigerian Stock Exchange

The afro-pop superstar is happily married to his wife, Annie Idibia, and along with his wife, he is a proud father of two lovely daughters; Olivia Idibia and Isabella Idibia.

4. Olamide

• Birth name: Olamide Gbenga Adedeji
• Age: 35
• Label: YBNL Nation, Empire
• Career Start: 2010

At the fourth position is Olamide Adedeji, who goes by the stage name Olamide, or Baddo, is a Nigerian afro-pop, hip-hop, and dance hall king who rose to prominence after the release of his lead single Omo To Shan in his first album titled “Rapsodi, which was released in 2011.

One unique aspect of his music is that he is known for using his mother tongue dialect “Yoruba” for most of his songs or records.

Olamide has won several awards from The Headies, Nigerian Entertainment Awards, Nigerian Music Video awards, etc., and is among the most influential artists in the Nigerian music industry. Olamide has released at least 11 studio works throughout his music career. Nigeria’s Itel Mobile named Olamide as its ambassador in 2020.

3 . Burna Boy 

• Birth name: Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu
• Age: 33
• Label: Atlantic
• Career Start: 2010

At No. 3 is Burna Boy who is best described as an Afro-fusion singer which is a mix of the Afrobeats sound, dancehall, reggae, American rap, and R&B music genre. Burna Boy is surely a force to reckon with in the Nigerian music industry. Since his debut, he has been able to bring much glory to the industry being the first contemporary Nigerian musician to win a Grammy award, while he got nominated at least twice in recent times.

In addition, he is famous for collaborating with different famous stars across the African continent. He has shown no signs of slowing down so far and has dropped five incredible albums with two EPs which are: “L.I.F.E. (2013)”, “On a Spaceship (2015)” “Outside (2018)”, “The African Giant (2019)”, “Twice as Tall (2020)”, “Redemption (2016)”, and “Steel & Copper (2019)”.

The African music legend is an award-winning icon, having over 22 different awards to his name.

2. Davido

• Birth name: David Adedeji Adeleke
• Age: 32
• Label: DMW, Sony, Columbia, RCA
• Career Start: 2009

At the second position in this rating is David Adedeji Adeleke better known as Davido who is another popular and highly influential Afro-pop artist, and songwriter in the Nigerian music industry. Though he was born into a well-to-do family, it’s obvious that his hard work and resilience were the driving force behind his success as an artist. He plunged into fame after the release of his hit track Dami Duro which was the second single from his debut studio album Omo Baba Olowo released in 2012.

Since then, he has dropped several hits and has won over 30 different awards and several nominations Davido made Clacified’s top 10 best musicians in Nigeria in 2021 due to his numerous awards.

Some of his hit tracks include Gobe, Skelewu, One of a Kind, Assurance, Aye, If, Fall, etc. The music legend also has 4 studio albums and 1 EP to his credit these are: “Omo Baba Olowo (2012)”, “Son of Mercy – EP (2016)”, “A Good Time (2019)”, “A Better Time (2020)” and “Timeless (2023)”.

Notably, his hit song Fall ended up becoming the longest-charting Nigerian pop song in the entire history of Billboard,  while his track If, on the other hand, topped many music charts across the country.

Davido is known to have a strong romantic relationship with his girlfriend, Chioma, whom he even dedicated one of his tracks to her

All the same, OBO as he is fondly called has won the hearts of millions of fans both locally and internationally, particularly for his interest in rising stars and several philanthropic activities.

1. Wizkid (now Big Wiz)

• Birth name: Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun
• Age: 34
• Label: Starboy Entertainment, RCA (current) Empire Mates Entertainment (former)
• Career Start: 2001

Topping the chart on the top 25 best Nigerian musicians is none other than the talented Afro-pop superstar Wizkid (now Big Wiz), whose real name is Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun.  The 34-year-old musical icon has become a household name in the Nigerian music industry and has been rated as the best music artist in most reviews, particularly owing to the fact that he remained the only artist with the highest number of both international and local awards, numbering over 65 awards.

The music sensation had started recording music at the tender age of 11 and was able to release a collaborative album with the Glorious Five, a group he and a couple of his church friends formed. Nonetheless, he only came to the limelight after the release of his hit single Holla at Your Boy from his debut studio album, Superstar released in 2011, under Banky W’s Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E).  So far, Wizkid has recorded five studio albums with one EP, which include; “Superstar”, “Ayo”, “Sound from the Other Side (SFTOS)”, “Made in Lagos”, “More Love, Less Ego “and Soundman Vol 1 (EP) all of which recorded huge critical and commercial successes, both within and outside Nigeria.

For instance, his album, “Sound from the Other” and “Made in Lagos” peaked at Number 2 (billboard chart) in US World Albums while gaining favorable positions in many other foreign Billboard charts. In 2018, Wizkid broke the jinx to become the first Afrobeats musician to make the 2018 Guinness World Records contribution to One Dance – Drake’s song, to mention just a few. Since his debut, Wizkid has been regarded as a music legend for toeing the path of the legendary Afrobeat founder Fela Kuti and for promoting the indigenous African sound to gain global recognition.

His recent international award is winning the Best African Act award at the 2021 MTV Europe Music Awards (MTV EMA) in November 2021. With this, it would not be out of place to say that the Afrobeat superstar has won more international awards than any African artist in recent times.